


How to Love (Simon Lewis has a Superpower)

by tsujiharu



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Background Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Love Languages, Minor Canonical Character(s), Not Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, Self Indulgent Simon Appreciation Fic, Simon Lewis is a Damn Treasure, Simon Lewis is a Good Bro, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:07:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28231407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsujiharu/pseuds/tsujiharu
Summary: 5 times Simon knew exactly how to love everyone, and 1 time that everyone appreciated him for the gem that he is.
Relationships: Clary Fray & Simon Lewis, Magnus Bane & Simon Lewis, Simon Lewis & Alec Lightwood, Simon Lewis & Jace Wayland, Simon Lewis/Isabelle Lightwood
Comments: 5
Kudos: 52





	How to Love (Simon Lewis has a Superpower)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Just back with a fluffy 5+1. Little known fact, Simon is one of my absolute favorite characters in the show. I think he’s often the underappreciated MVP, and I wanted to show him some love.  
> The story stemmed from an idea (that unfortunately didn’t make my final draft) of Clary telling everyone that Simon’s “superpower” is knowing exactly what another person needs to feel loved and appreciated. Each section revolves around a specific love language.  
> This is post-Malec’s wedding, but canon-divergent in the sense that Clary doesn’t lose her runes and memories.
> 
> Anyway. I hope you enjoy this self-indulgent Simon appreciation fic!

**Alec** _(Words of Affirmation)_

“Alec! I heard the news!”

Alec can’t help his small wince as Simon barges into his office. It isn’t that he dislikes Simon; he treats Izzy with love and respect and he has proven himself to be a trustworthy ally. He’s just very… loud. He turns around to face his sister’s boyfriend and is slightly taken aback by the bright smile that spreads across Simon’s face. He takes a tiny step back, creating some distance between himself and the Vampire, who seems to catch the action and stops right outside his personal bubble he’s set for himself.

“About the Inquisitor position! That’s awesome, Alec!” He continues unfazed, arms excitedly moving with each exclamation. A small chuckle leaves Alec’s mouth before he can stop himself. Simon must hear it before Alec can cover it up by clearing his throat, as his smile somehow manages to grow even wider.

“Thank you, Simon,” Alec says, keeping his tone as level as possible but gives him a thin smile.

“Also about the Downworlder’s Cabinet, too,” Simon continues excitedly, seemingly without taking a breath, “oh my god, Alec, that’s like, ridiculously cool!”

Alec feels a blush building in his cheeks.

“It… it obviously wasn’t all me,” he stammers, unable to take the praise as it is (something Magnus has been helping him work on), “I had a lot of help along the way.”

Simon just beams at him with warm eyes, crinkled at the edges, “maybe you got help, but you made it happen. Alec, this is huge. You’re making a real difference and you should be proud.”

Simon’s enthusiasm can be infectious, and before he knows it Alec is sporting a wide grin himself. Simon looks pleased at the reaction. While Alec doesn’t like that he’s given Simon the satisfaction of making Alec _smile_ , he can’t deny that Simon’s words settle warmly within him. The Vampire is always so straightforward with his words, both good and bad, and leaves little left unsaid. Alec isn’t used to that attitude, but seeing how he is with Izzy, Alec doesn’t have any complaints. He hasn’t often been the recipient of Simon’s directness in the past (he gets the feeling that Simon is afraid of him most of the time), so it explains why he feels so off-kilter at the words of praise.

“The way Izzy talks about you - you should know how proud of you she is. You’ve worked so hard for everything you’ve achieved. Congrats, dude!”

He pats Alec on the shoulder, which is what pulls Alec out of the warm bubble Simon’s words have created. He looks down at where the man’s hand sits on his shoulder, and turns a narrowed side eye towards him.

“...too much? Okay, yeah, sorry, I thought that we were vibing,” Simon mutters nervously, retracting his hand like he’s being burned, “but it’s cool, no worries, man! Personal space. Got it!”

Alec can’t help that he feels slightly entertained watching Simon squirm. He’s Izzy’s boyfriend, after all. What sort of a big brother would he be if he didn’t give Simon a hard time?

“Well… ooohkay, then!” Simon continues to mutter as he slowly backs away, “just wanted to say congratulations, so, I guess I’ll leave now…! Bye, Alec!”

And just as chaotically as he came in, Simon rushes out of Alec’s office, leaving Alec alone feeling thoroughly amused.

* * *

**Clary** _(Quality Time)_

Clary doesn’t hear her best friend when he steps into the training gym. She’s been training for hours, and while her muscles scream for a break, she can’t get over the frustration of losing _something_ that was a part of her. The Angels made good on their promise and took away Clary’s ability to “create” new runes. What Clary didn’t expect was to physically be able to feel the loss. While she can still fight, use her Angelic runes that remain, and do everything else she had been able to do all along, she feels helpless. She feels an absence she can’t explain, and so she fills the void in any way she can. Today, it’s training.

“Alright, Fray,” a familiar voice echoes through the training room and startles her out of her obsessive focus, “it’s time for you to wrap this up.”

She turns around from the punching bag to see Simon walking up to her. His lips are stretched into a tight smile, but Clary knows him well enough to see the concern etched in his features.

“I’m okay, Simon,” she tries, knowing well that Simon wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“Nope,” he says, popping his “p” as if to prove a point, “a little birdie told me you’ve been at this for hours, and it’s time for you to take a break for a classic Lewis-Fray movie marathon.”

Clary can’t help the smile that rises up at his words. They haven’t had a movie day since before they found out about the Shadow World, and the nostalgia of it hits her hard. She takes a quick glance back at the punching bag that she’s been accosting until the arrival of her friend.

“Okay,” she replies.

“Okay?” Simon sounds surprised at how easy it was, and Clary giggles at his response.

“Yeah, let me shower and I’ll meet you at the comm room in 20 minutes. Your place?”

Simon scoffs, “please, there’s no way we’re watching _anything_ with the horrific stereo system on your laptop.”

Movie day is a huge success. They decide to marathon the original Star Wars trilogy, make a huge bowl of popcorn, and buy an unreasonable amount of candy to go with it. Clary doesn’t realize until they press play on The Empire Strikes Back that she hadn’t just spent time with Simon in quite some time. She misses their easy banter, the jibes and the laughs. They debate about how well the movies hold up, and whether or not the special effects were a good addition to the remastered editions (Clary likes to mess with him - she agrees with Simon the added special effects are horrendous and were definitely a mistake, but she’ll never tell him that).

Before they realize it, the sun has long set. They’re both melting into the sofa, well on their way to stomach aches from the sheer amount of candy they’ve consumed, and laughing uncontrollably like the other had told the funniest joke in the world.

“I needed this,” Clary says, in between her bouts of laughter, “thank you, Simon.”

The edges of Simon’s eyes crinkle as he smiles, warm and bright, “of course.”

“Can we do this more often? I’ve missed this.” When she asks softly, the Vampire laughs. A light, happy sound that Clary loves to hear. Simon’s joyous laughter is contagious, and Clary’s giggles soon join in as well.

She turns her eyes back to the screen where an Ewok is blabbering something enthusiastically and starts cackling again (they’ve definitely had way too much sugar). Simon nudges her gently with his shoulder, and Clary tilts her head toward him.

“Anytime, Clary,” he says with a toothy grin.

Clary sinks back into the sofa, letting the comfort of the company of her best friend settle around her like a warm blanket.

* * *

**Jace** _(Acts of Service)_

Jace rubs his palm against his eye, letting out a frustrated sigh. He’s been staring at the screens for so long that his vision is starting to get blurry. It’s been a long few days with back-to-back instances of demonic action across the city. Most have been relatively easy to combat - just a handful of quick missions to send them all back to hell (if only there weren’t so damn many), but there has been a specific demon’s nest that Jace has been struggling to track for the last couple of days and the failure gnaws at him. Clary and Izzy have tried and failed to get him to rest; Jace is determined to find the demons who have been terrorizing the city. His most recent lead had been a Vampire’s den in the Bronx. It sounds like some Vampires on their way to the den saw the demons retreat after a particularly damaging attack on a group of mundane teenagers, but the Vamps, who apparently “didn’t like Jace’s attitude”, refused to talk to him when he went over to interview them (and regardless of what Izzy may say, it wasn’t an “interrogation”).

“When’s the last time you got some shut-eye?”

A sudden voice startles Jace out of his focus. His head jerks back to see the owner of the voice - one Simon Lewis, resident Daylighter (and now Izzy’s boyfriend, much to Jace’s disapproval).

“Mind your own business, Simon,” Jace bites out. His eyes narrow and his mouth pulls into a tight line. He doesn’t mean to be so antagonistic, but Simon’s right; he _hasn’t_ rested in a while and his exhaustion is manifesting into irritation.

“Ah, so you _don’t_ want this report I managed to get from the Vampires in the Bronx?” Simon asks with a shit-eating grin as he waves a small stack of papers in the air. Jace’s eyebrows rise at the question.

“The what?”

That earns him a good-natured laugh from the Vampire, “Izzy told me about your encounter with them. She was worried you were working yourself to the ground so I thought I’d help out.”

He hands him the report, and Jace is still slightly too stunned to return a smartass quip, so he takes it without complaint. He knows he’s staring at Simon, who doesn’t seem to be fazed in the slightest, glancing at the screens and pointing to an alleyway on the maps.

“I think you’ll get more out of the report once you connect it with the attacks, but my best guess is there’s something here.” He looks back at Jace with another crooked grin.

Jace looks at the map diligently (he’s just the right combination of tired and speechless to follow Simon’s suggestions without question), and back at the report.

“That’s, uh… great, Simon,” he stammers in response, “...thank you.” He adds on the thank you in a quiet mutter, but Simon catches it and his face breaks into a wide smile ( _stupid Vampire super-hearing_ , Jace frowns).

“Get some rest, man. You’ve been at it forever,” he waves casually as he slowly makes his way back to the exit, “I’m heading out, but let me know if you need anything else from the Vampires. I can help, Jace.”

Jace can’t help but nod at Simon’s earnest offer, startling himself and the Vampire equally. But Simon recovers quickly and leaves the room with one last smile and a wave. Leaving the room empty except for Jace again, alone with his thoughts and his exhaustion.

But as the Shadowhunter stares down at the papers in his hand, an extremely detailed report with the first solid lead that he’s had since his search started, he notices he feels infinitely lighter. He spares the screens one last glance, and decides that he can afford a quick power-nap before planning the mission against the demon’s nest.

* * *

**Magnus** _(Gift Giving)_

Magnus instantly recognizes the playful knock on the door. He tilts his head thinking about what the daylighter might want with him; not that he doesn’t welcome a visit from Simon, but just that they had just spent an entire day with each other the day before on a tedious info-seeking mission, which failed spectacularly due to a false lead. The day was only salvaged by Simon’s endless enthusiasm that brought them to a hole-in-the-wall bakery that Magnus had somehow never heard of (“oh my GOD, Magnus! But we’re right next to the BEST BAKERY IN NEW YORK”) - it was delicious, and Magnus may have come home with a couple more babkas than he needed.

“Sherman! To what do I owe the pleasure?” Magnus greets him with a wide grin, returned by a half-hearted grimace from Simon.

“Is that ever going to get old?”

The Warlock taps his ringed fingers against his cheek, making an exaggerated show of mulling over the question, “no, I don’t think it will.”

Simon just laughs in his pleasant way. 

“Here,” he says as he steps into the foyer and tosses Magnus a small parcel. Magnus looks at it with confusion etched in his face, which elicits a grin from the Vampire. “Open it!” He urges.

The two make their way to the living area of the loft where Magnus conjures a bloody cocktail for his friend, who accepts the drink with a small “thanks” but remains standing in the doorway watching him with a toothy smirk. He sits down on the sofa and tears open the envelope to reveal a familiar book of old heirloom spells. Magnus blinks down at it, unable to form words. He looks back up to Simon, the question is evident in his eyes.

“But… why?”

Simon shrugs, “I noticed you looking at it when we were at Hashem’s shop yesterday during our mission. You were looking through it for a while, I assumed it was something you were interested in.”

Hashem is an old Vampire who owns one of the best antique stores in the city. The two ended up there yesterday in search for some information from the well-connected Vampire; Magnus had spotted the book during their stop and, as Simon seemed to notice, had thought of buying the book. He spent some time flipping through the pages at the store, enjoying the traditional home-made spells that the owner of the book had diligently written down in neat handwriting, but had decided against purchasing it since their line of questioning had Hashem in a foul mood. There was no chance in hell that he would get a fair price at that point.

Magnus traces his fingers over the delicate leather cover - there’s something so pleasing about the texture of an old book. A ghost of a smile spreads on his face and he looks up again at Simon, who is looking at him with a self-satisfied smile.

“I went back. Hashem is a lot nicer when it’s just other Vamps,” he grins, and his fangs glisten in the daylight, “and I even managed to barter a bit!”

Magnus huffs out a laugh. Hashem is a hardass, but somehow he can easily imagine Simon winning him over with his guileless charm.

“Thank you, Simon,” his voice is gentle, gratitude seeping into each of the words. The gesture was so thoughtful, and Magnus knows it was made out of genuine kindness.

“Don’t even mention it! Glad you like it,” he waves off the thanks, like it really isn’t anything. Perhaps it isn’t to Simon, but to Magnus, who is more often the receiving end of requests or demands, it’s an unexpected surprise. He feels the warmth spread within him, and he beams at the daylighter.

“I told Izzy I’d meet her for lunch so I gotta go,” he gestures toward the door, “see ya soon, Magnus!”

And just like that, Simon rushes out of the loft. Magnus is left staring at the book, the sense of surprise and joy still lingering in the air.

* * *

**Izzy** _(Physical Touch)_

Izzy slams open the door to her boyfriend’s apartment and barges in. Her style is still impeccable (as always) and not a hair is out of place, but she knows the frustration she feels is seeping out in her every feature, and there’s no way that Simon wouldn’t notice. Not only because he’s her boyfriend, but simply because he’s Simon.

The Daylighter immediately puts down his guitar, looking alert and worried.

“Whose ass do I need to kick, babe?” He asks, jokingly. But even with the joking tone, the question grinds Izzy’s gears today.

“Who says I didn’t already kick their asses myself?” She scoffs. Izzy walks over to the fridge, getting herself a glass of water. She slams the fridge door for good measure and sees Simon flinch in her peripheral vision. That finally calms her a little, guilt tinging the anger she feels after the long day she’s had at the Institute.

“Touché,” Simon replies, walking up to where Izzy leans against the kitchen counter. She sees his eyes glance over her as he takes note of the tension in her shoulders, the crease between her brows. She closes her eyes and lets out a long exhale.

“I’m sorry, Simon, I -” she tries to apologize, to walk away and come back when she’s feeling better, but Simon just reaches out and cups her cheek with a gentle hand.

“Hey, hey, none of that.” He rubs his thumb along her cheekbones, and lets his hand drag downward, along her neck, her shoulder, and down her arm until he wraps his hand around hers. He tugs gently, “c’mere.”

He guides her toward his sofa and sits down. When he coaxes Izzy down, he prompts her to lay down with her head on his lap. He starts to run his hand through her hair, applying soft pressure to her temple and scalp as he does so. His other hand just traces loving circles on her exposed shoulders. Izzy melts into his hold.

They lay like that for a while. Izzy feeling safe and warm under Simon’s tender touch. He doesn’t say anything and Izzy appreciates it. For all the flack Simon gets for never shutting up, he seems to instinctively know that the Shadowhunter needs this moment of quiet. After a few minutes of silence, Izzy shifts her body slightly so she’s facing up at her boyfriend. He looks down at her, his eyes are warm with love, crinkled at the edges. A soft smile adorns his face, and she can feel herself reciprocating the look.

“Hey,” he grins.

“Hey yourself,” she laughs and then adds, “thank you.”

Simon’s eyes narrow as his smile widens, “want to talk about it?”

Izzy sighs and thinks about it. She stretches her arm up, bending her elbow to let her hand come to rest on Simon’s forearm. The Vampire continues his gentle ministrations. Never once letting his fingers leave Izzy’s skin.

“Discussions are starting about Alec leaving the Institute,” she starts, tentatively, “along with conversations about who will take over the New York Institute.”

“You,” remarks Simon without any hesitation. It makes Izzy’s red lips spread in a grin, “who else?”

“Well I would be honored, but I think you might be a bit biased,” she says, spreading her manicured fingers across his toned bicep.

“No, Izzy, I’m serious. You’re clearly the most qualified person in the Institute once Alec leaves. Sure, I guess Jace is cool or whatever, but you’ve got the brains _and_ the skills.”

Simon keeps his fingers running through Izzy’s hair, his other palm stays on her arm, and she just feels so at home in his embrace. Her eyes drift closed.

“Let’s just say there are some people who don’t feel the same way as you,” she grimaces at the reminder of the sideways glances and undermining snide comments. She sighs - while she’s done everything she could to be worthy of the Lightwood name, she wonders if her past behavior really has squandered her chances. When her gaze shifts up at her boyfriend’s face, she sees his eyebrows knit together in a disapproving glare.

“They’re wrong,” he proclaims, as if it’s the easiest answer in the world, “and I bet they were embarrassed when you put them in their place.”

That finally raises a laugh out of Izzy and she turns to bury her face in Simon’s flank, wrapping her arms around the Vampire’s waist.

“You’re damn right I did.”

* * *

**Simon**

Simon takes great care as he unloads the van. It’s been a while since he’s done a show at the Hunter’s Moon, and he wants to be sure that he brought everything he needs. He drums his fingers nervously against his thigh as he looks over his equipment. He loves performing, but he usually has moral support when he does. He sighs as he leans over to heave one of his amps indoors.

He mentioned to Izzy that he had booked the gig, but with Alec leaving soon, things at the Institute have been hectic. He knew his Shadowhunter friends wouldn’t be able to make it (and Magnus has been busy with the upcoming move to Idris), so he decided to keep the show under wraps and told Izzy not to worry about coming. There will be more shows for them to attend. He knows he’s got a decent set, and while he isn’t worried, there’s a distinct sense of feeling unmoored without his friends in the audience to catch his eyes when he glances across the crowd.

He enters the bar from the back and sees that there’s already a good smattering of people in there. He knows it’ll get busier as it gets closer to the time he’s supposed to start playing. It’s still too early to tell what the crowd will look like. He chats a bit with the bartender, mostly about Maia who’s no longer bartending now that she’s alpha of the New York Pack. Simon grins as he talks animatedly of his Werewolf friend, working tirelessly toward her goal of creating another space in the city for all Downworlders. As time goes by, the bar starts filling up with people so he parts with the bartender to start setting up the stage. He gets into his easy rhythm of placing his amps across the stage, setting up his guitar, plugging in the microphone. He can do it by muscle memory at this point.

As he does so, he thinks of his friends. They’ve all been so stressed in this time of transition, and he wonders what he can do to help out. The Downworlders haven’t been needed as much during this transitional period, and thankfully there hasn’t seemed to be too many unmanageable demon attacks. It’s good in the sense that his friends don’t have to worry about extra work caused by difficult demons, but it also makes Simon feel a little helpless. He has a handful of tried and trusted methods to help his friends; he knows he can encourage Alec with his words (as long as Alec will sit to listen to him for more than 30 seconds at a time), make sure Clary gets some time to relax and rest (he really had missed their movie nights), help Jace with reports or missions (there’s a sense of smug satisfaction when he catches Jace off-guard with an unexpected lead), gift Magnus with something that might brighten up his day (he remembers hearing somewhere that a Warlock could never have too much stuff… and can’t help but wonder if Alec agrees with that sentiment), and comfort Izzy with hugs or cuddles (he learned early in their relationship that she melts into the warmth of human touch). But those are all small things that never feel like enough.

He glances at his phone and sees that it’s nearing showtime, so he sets aside his train of thought to focus on his set. The bar is looking near capacity at this point, with people still trickling in. He tests the mic, which is working just fine (too fine, if he’s going by the wince of the Seelie sitting by the stereo system). He makes some final adjustments, checks back in with the bartender who gives him the go ahead, and settles down on the stage.

“Hi,” he starts, his nerves are starting to kick back in as he faces the crowd full of strangers, “hi, uh, I’m Simon Lewis,” he’s just about done stammering through his introduction, when he hears an enthusiastic “whoop” from the crowd. The familiar voice startles him, and his eyes dart toward the entrance of the bar, where a small group just walked in wearing big smiles on their faces.

He sees Izzy first, the owner of the “whoop”. Clary follows closely with her bright red hair pulled up in a ponytail, Alec, Magnus, and even Jace are right behind the girls. His eyes are wide as he sees them enter.

 _But I thought they wouldn’t make it,_ he thinks as he watches his girlfriend and friends thread through the crowd, feeling something in his heart tighten at the fact that they all showed up. _They’ve been so busy…_

Simon realizes soon that he’s been quiet for a bit too long, watching the group of Shadowhunters (and one Warlock) find a place to settle by the bar, and he quickly recovers from his surprise.

“Sorry guys, it’s been a long day,” he laughs. A polite laughter spreads through the bar, “again, I’m Simon Lewis. I have a few original songs, including one brand new one to play for you all today. I hope you enjoy the show!”

After that it’s easy to get lost in the moment. He’s comfortable in his art, and every time he catches the eyes of one of his friends in the crowd, he finds another burst of confidence. They all (yes, _all._ Again, even Jace) point encouraging smiles at Simon - swaying (and mouthing along, in Izzy and Clary’s case) to the music and cheering the loudest.

Simon feels joy bubble up inside him, and his grin widens as he sings. He didn’t realize how much it would mean to him to have his friends take the time to show up for his gig, but he was immediately overcome by the unexpected response. An overwhelming feeling that he didn’t know how to describe at first.

The feeling is settling now, and Simon feels so _loved_.

**Author's Note:**

> I might add a small second chapter showing the conversation between Izzy, Clary, Alec, Jace, and Magnus that led to them showing up at the show eventually :)
> 
> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated.
> 
> Happy Holidays!
> 
> tsujiharu


End file.
